Obama on Immigration Reform: 'The LGBT Community Should Be Treated Like Everybody Else' - VIDEO

In a press conference which included a wide range of topics, President Obama told reporters in Costa Rica last night that he supports LGBT-inclusive immigration reform because it's "the right thing to do" but admitted he was uncertain about what might happen with the provision.

Said Obama:

"The LGBT community should be treated like everybody else. That's the essential core principle behind our founding documents. The idea that we're all created equal and we're equal before the law...And so Senator Leahy may present this provision in committee, it may be presented on the floor. It will be one of many amendments and provisions, some of which I support. Some of which I think are really bad ideas...I can tell you I think that the provision is the right thing to do. I'll also tell you that I'm not going to get everything I want in this bill. Republicans are not going to get everything they want in this bill."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Says She Would Not Oppose Court's Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage

When Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla was elected in February 2010 she was adamant about her belief in "traditional" marriage, but clarified those remarks this week by saying she would not oppose a court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

The Tico Times reports:

Two gay couples, as part of the Diversity Movement, asked a Costa Rican court Monday to be married in a civil union, drawing attention to the issue.

Chinchilla made the statement during the last day of her visit to California, as part of a 6-day visit to the United States. The Latin American leader noted during her campaign for president in 2009 that she was a supporter of traditional marriage. She maintains that belief. However, she qualified the issue by saying that if a Costa Rican court allowed gay couples to marry, Chinchilla would not oppose the decision.

"There are complex issues that require us to prioritize, such as employment or security," Chinchilla said. "Obviously, if there is a decision of a court of law, we could not object to it."

Previously...
New Costa Rican President Wants to Protect Marriage from Gays [tr]

 

Watch: Sloth Gets Wings

Life is undoubtedly dangerous for sloths that decide they need to cross the road. Here's a three-toed sloth trying to do just that in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. 

Thankfully, it gets a hand, er wings.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Costa Rica's High Court Protects Minority, Blocks Referendum on Gay Civil Unions

Some excellent news out of Costa Rica, where the country's highest court has blocked a referendum that would have allowed the majority to vote on the rights of the minority, the AP reports:

"Costa Rica's top court has blocked the electoral tribunal from holding a referendum that would have let voters decide if same-sex civil unions should be allowed in the Central American country. The Constitutional Court's 5-2 decision released Tuesday says such a referendum would put a minority at a disadvantage in a largely Roman Catholic country. It also says gay civil unions is a legislative issue and not an electoral one. The court says it considers homosexuals a group that is at a disadvantage and the target for discrimination, requiring government authorities to protect their rights."

Said the court in a statement: "Minority rights that are derived from claims against the majority cannot be subject to a referendum process where majorities are needed...people who have relationships with individuals of the same sex form a group that is subject to disadvantages and discrimination, and require the support of public authorities to obtain their rights.""

Conservative groups had collected more than 150,000 signatures in support of the referendum, which was to take place at the beginning of December.